Day of the Departed Rewrite
by INFJwriter
Summary: When Cole tries to take revenge on Yang for turning him into a ghost, he releases spirits from the departed realm. Now the Ninja must fight old foes who want to take their place among the living, while Cole questions his value to the team. Will the other Ninja be able to find him before he makes a decision he might regret? Or will Cole decide his loyalties belong elsewhere?
1. Episode 1: Day of the Departed

**(A/N) [Bursts through the door] I LIIIIIIVVVEEE!**

 **First things first, a big THANK YOU to all of the people who gave me ideas for this rewrite of Day of the Departed. Chief among these wonderful people is MidnightShard99, my friend across the planet. This rewrite wouldn't have made it out of my head if it weren't for you!**

 **Now, about this rewrite. It was going to be ten episodes long, but that didn't happen, mostly because I. Can't. Write. Cole. No matter how hard I try. Now the first four chapters are going to be released, the last of which isn't even finished. But I hope you enjoy it anyway. Read!**

* * *

Episode 1

Day of the Departed

The sun shone hot down on the pink dunes of the Sea of Sand. The sky was turning shades of pink and purple. The rocks in the desert cast long shadows across the ground. Sunset was fast approaching.

Suddenly there was a rumbling sound somewhere in the distance. The rumble turned into a roar, and a large motorcycle tore across the ground. The Raider Bike's driver was a young man dressed in a ninja gi. "Move, move, move! We're running out of time! Pick up the pace!" Kai yelled into his radio.

Another large vehicle, the Rock Roader appeared behind it. "Kai's right, we're already cutting it close!"

Two more vehicles appeared. "Roger that, Cole!" Nya said from the second Raider Bike. "Zane, do you have a read?"

"It may be too late," Zane replied from the Titanium Ninja Tumbler, "unless we break all speed limits! Increase velocity!"

"Already on it," PIXAL confirmed. Another vehicle suddenly appeared out of the dust, Lloyd at the driver's seat.

"Ninja, I've reached the rendezvous point. Where are you?" Wu asked from the screens on the vehicle's dashboard.

"The museum is still five clicks away!" Lloyd answered in his Ultra Stealth Raider Bike. "We're on our way."

Suddenly a small craft caught up to them up in the air. "Look up, kids! Jay to save the day! Race you there, Lloyd!" Jay called from the cockpit.

"I still don't understand how you got the Super Sonic Raider Jet," Lloyd said, shaking his head.

"Uh, 'cause I called dibs! Guy who calls dibs first gets it! Right Cole?" No answer. "Right Cole? Cole?" Still nothing. A sudden realization hit Jay. "Lemme go get him! He's drifting off again!"

Cole looked at his hands. They were fading again. Not another one of these episodes! "No. No! Come back! Come-" he pleaded.

Jay was heading back, only to see Cole's tread assault hurtling through the air straight for him. "Cole! Look out!" He cried. Jay took a quick dive and only just missed it.

Cole regained control finally. "S-sorry Jay," he apologized.

Jay sighed. "I know you're a ghost, but I'm still in the living world, and I'd kinda like to keep it that way!"

"Ninja! Time is of the essence!" Wu exclaimed.

"He's right!" Cole said. "Engage!"

"We have one last shot if we want to make it. Combine for maximum impact!" Lloyd commanded.

The vehicles began to converge and combine. "Locked!" Kai confirmed.

"Loaded!" Nya added.

"And, jet speed reporting for duty, sir!" Jay piped. He lowered the jet and latched onto the combination. Cole and Zane also put their vehicles in place.

"Fire all engines!" Lloyd directed, and they all zoomed off.

* * *

The Ninja sped toward the city, tore down the streets and finally skidded to a stop at the Ninjago City Museum. They jumped out of their vehicles and rushed over to Sensei Wu, who was standing on the front steps of the museum. "Sensei Wu!" Jay panted. "Are we too late?"

Wu looked up at the sky where the moon shone bright green. "There may yet be time," he answered.

The ninja raced up the steps. "NINJA-GO!" they shouted, and Spinjitzued inside, Misako and Wu closely following.

Moments later, the Ninja walked out of the gift shop, carrying orange lanterns and now feeling much more relaxed. "Haha! Mission accomplished!" Jay laughed.

"Good thing we got to the gift shop before it closed!" Lloyd remarked.

"Yes," Zane agreed. "A Day of the Departed celebration is incomplete without a Day of the Departed lantern."

"I don't know about you all, but this has got to be one of my favorite holidays! There's lights, there's costumes, but the best part is the candy!" Jay exclaimed. He turned to a kid with a pilot's helmet on. "Go long, kid!" The boy's eyes widened in terror, and he ran to the front of the group. "Hey, what was that?!"

Lloyd put his elbow on Jay's shoulder. "Jay, take it from me," he began, almost as if he were a wise old man teaching him a valuable lesson. It was so dramatic it was comical. "Candy is a child's greatest treasure. No kid is going to be willing to give up that sweet, sugary goodness for free."

"Yes, enjoy the fun and festivities," Wu encouraged, "but never lose sight of the true meaning of the Day of the Departed. Today is about remembrance. We light lanterns to remember our ancestors… and to settle our debts."

"Yeah, got it, got it." Jay babbled. "Lanterns, ancestors, debts, but candy too, right?"

Suddenly a voice that sounded like it had a slight cold came up behind them. "The Ninja! The Master Wu!" The speaker was a man in a red suit with glasses and a very long grey mustache.

"Dr. Saunders," Wu acknowledged.

"Oh, please, we are all friends, ah, you must call me by my first name, yes, Sander, yes?"

Kai snorted softly. He leaned over to his sister. "Dr. Sander Saunders?" he whispered into her ear.

Unfortunately, Dr. Saunders heard it, but didn't seem to take offense. "At your service!" he laughed cheerily. "I am so pleased to be seeing you at this now. We are opening our new exhibit. Come! You see! Come!" He led them over to a set of double doors. Opening them, he announced, "Might I be presenting… the Hall of Villainy!" Everyone gasped. All the mannequins looked very realistic. He pointed to each one and introduced them. "Cryptor!"

"Very realistic," Zane observed.

"Kozu!"

"Uncanny!" Lloyd remarked.

"Chen!"

"Oh, don't remind me," Nya groaned.

"Samukai!"

"…Is he looking at me?" Jay asked nervously.

"Maybe from the past," Wu reassured him.

"And Morro!" Dr. Saunders finished. "Checking this out! We don't just open on Day of Departed. It's Day of Departed lunar eclipse! A special eclipse!"

"The rarest Yin Yang eclipse," Wu informed, looking at the moon chart Dr. Saunders was pointing out. "Unlike most eclipses, it lasts for two weeks instead of one night."

"Ah, poetic, is it not? Scary holiday, scary exhibit, scary moon, there is magic in the air… BOOGLY BOOGLY!" None of the ninja were impressed by Dr. Saunders' attempt at spooking them. However, the exhibit was a different story.

"It's… every villain we've ever faced," Kai breathed.

Cole walked toward a specimen that caught his eye. "Not every villain…." he corrected more to himself than to Kai. He was facing a weapon encased in glass underneath a painting of a familiar face.

"No, there are many more to unpack," Dr. Saunders continued. "Overlord, Golden Master, all the ones who tried to destroy you. Exciting!"

"Uhh, yeah, e-exciting…" Jay agreed nervously.

Cole walked nearer to the weapon and painting. He began to read the description. "'Although known to some as the Master Without A Student, Honakuna Yang will be remembered by most as the creator of airjitzu, the most powerful martial art in history.' Huh, actually, I remember Yang as the guy who turned me into a ghost." Then he called behind him, "Hey, uh, Dr. Saunders, what's the story on this thing?" He put his hand through the glass. "Hello? Dr. Saunders? Anyone?" No one answered.

"Hey, what's that?" Nya rushed over to the case.

"Ah, you have a good eye, Nya!" Dr. Saunders complimented.

"Wha- her?! I'm the one who spotted-" Cole stopped. No one seemed to hear him. In fact… "Hey! Watch it! You guys are walking right through me!"

"The Yin Blade belonged to Master Yang, eh, it is said to possess much dark magic…"

Cole came to a realization. "They don't hear me… or see me… it's like I don't exist anymore… And it's all your fault!" He finished by yelling at the painting.

"Cole… come… come to me…." said a voice.

"Uhh, tell me you heard that?" he asked Jay. Jay didn't notice.

"Come Cole…."

Dr. Saunders was still talking. "…which is why it is in this case made of clearstone, the hardest substance known to human, impenetrable by any living being…"

"…Cole…" The painting called.

"Yang…" Cole responded softly.

"…Close the circle…"

"Close the circle?"

"…Close the circle…"

"Close the circle…" Cole shook his head. Then he realized he was alone. He walked over to the window. To his horror, he saw his friends outside, saying goodbye to Dr. Saunders.

"Thank you so much for such an informative tour, Dr. Saunders," Wu said. They shook hands. Then Wu turned to the Ninja. "Ninja, tonight is the first night of the eclipse. At midnight we will return here for the concert. But first, we must go forth and honor those we have lost… those who have departed. We honor our ancestors because if we never look to the past, we cannot envision the future. On the Day of the Departed, we pause to remember those we have lost, and enjoy our time with those we are still fortunate to have."

Reality came crashing down on Cole. "They don't realize I'm gone… maybe… I'm departed…." As he stood there in the window, watching them go, his sadness turned to anger at a certain someone. Yang was at fault. It was all his fault. And Cole wasn't about to sit here while none of his friends could see or hear him. Cole had never wanted pure revenge on anyone before. It wasn't the way of the Ninja. But I'm not a ninja. I'm a ghost. Cole's fists balled up. He turned to leave. He didn't care about what anyone said; he had a debt to settle.

* * *

Back in the Sea of Sand, the other ninja rode away. "See you soon!" Kai shouted to everyone over the noise of the engines.

"Happy Day of the Departed, everyone!" Nya waved. With that, everyone left for their various destinations.

* * *

In the Corridor of Elders, Lloyd and Misako lit a floating lantern. After making sure it had enough hot air in it to let go, Lloyd released it. Slowly it rose up into the sky. As it passed Garmadon's stone statue, it cast its warm glow across his face.

* * *

Back in Ignacia, Nya held up a lantern in front of Kai. He lit up his hand and used it to light the lantern with a warm red glow. Nya placed the lantern on the table under a picture of their parents, the masters of water and fire.

* * *

In the Birchwood Forest, Zane walked toward the ice statue of his father. He placed a lantern in his open hand, and stepped back for a moment of reflection. This was his creator. He touched the snowy floor with his shurikens, and the ice power traveled across the ground and encased the statue with a fresh layer of ice.

* * *

Back in the junkyard, Jay sat on a bench outside the trailer where he grew up. They were looking at photos of Jay just after his parents found him on the porch. "Aww…" Edna cooed. "That's when I gave you your first teddy bear."

"Well, yeah, that thing was your best friend," Ed agreed. "You took it everywhere."

Jay laughed at a picture of him refusing to eat peas and carrots baby food. "I never really liked vegetables, did I?" he chuckled.

"We still loved you, Jay," Edna said, her head on Jay's shoulder.

* * *

At the mountain on which sat the remains of the old monastery, Wu made tea next to a picture of his father. "I raise this cup of Remembrance Tea to you father," he said, holding up the tea cup. "We never forget."

* * *

It was only a few minutes until showtime, and backstage, Lou was beginning to worry. Where was his son? "Cole, Cole where are you? You were going to light a lantern with me before the show!" he lamented. Lou's quartet slid in.

"He still not here, Lou?" Gary asked. "C'mon, put a few notes to it! It'll make you feel better! Bum bum bum bummmmm! Gave you your voice… gave you your soul… gave you your heart, now my heart is goooone…"

The others joined in. "To pieces!"

"Pieces!"

"Pieces!"

"Pieces!"

"Ooo la la la la la oo la la la la la!"

"Ooooooooooooooooooooo!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Just then Dareth entered. "Hey, guys?" he said, trying to get the four performers' attention. But they seemed entirely absorbed in their art. "Hey! Guys, listen!" Still no answer. "Guys. Guys! GUYS! STOP IT!" Finally they finished. "Ah, kids! Always letting you down! That's why I don't have 'em. Not because Gail keeps turning down my marriage proposals even though I'm an excellent provider." He cleared his throat. "Anyway! It's a good thing your manager is here to help you focus on the important things!"

"What's more important than family?" Lou asked crossly.

"A paying gig for a festival audience! Have a good show, boys."

Dareth raced onstage. "Hello Ninjago!"

Lou sighed. What could have happened to Cole?

* * *

Cole drove through the desert in his Raider. He had to do this. He drove for what seemed like hours. Dry desert turned to fluffy snow, fluffy snow turned to grassy plains. Finally the visibility dropped, for fog was closing in. He'd have to go the rest of the way on foot. Cole exited the Raider and walked through creepy, skeletal trees until he finally found it. Yang's temple.

Cole burst through the door. "Alright, Yang! Show yourself!" he shouted into the empty entrance hall. He walked further in. "You hear me? Show yourself!"

"Cole," a deep voice suddenly said. Cole looked to the right and saw Yang emerging from behind the staircase. "You received my message. I have something important to speak with you about."

"Really? Well I've got a message for you. It's direct from the business end of your own weapon!" He pulled out the Yin Blade from behind him and pointed it at Yang.

Yang gasped. "The Yin blade! But, how? It's encased in solid clearstone! That case is impenetrable-"

"Not to a ghost. Which thanks to you, I still am!" Cole didn't care if he was sounding scary even to himself. Yang was going to pay.

"W-what are you going to do?"

"There's magic in the air. You know, eclipse and all?"

"Please, where is your holiday spirit? It's the Day of the Departed."

"Uh-huh. And I'm settling my debt!" Cole let out a vengeful cry and leapt toward Yang, blade in hand. But Yang jumped out of the way, and the blade hit a large vase instead.

"You foolish boy!"

"What?" Cole asked. Suddenly the vase began to let out an eerie glow.

"You've broken the seal on the Vase of Wicked Souls Past!" Yang yelled as the light from the eclipse shone a beam down on the broken vase. A sickly green gas started to swirl around inside of it.

"Woah! What's happening?!"

"The consequences of your rash behavior!" Yang responded angrily. Streams of green smoke began to escape from the vase. They slithered out of the temple doors and into the surrounding woods. Quickly they made their way across the land and toward Ninjago City. They weaved through the streets and snaked into the Ninjago City Museum. As they went, the lanterns they passed turned green. The smoke soon made its way into the Hall of Villainy exhibit. Each strand of smoke began to circle one of the villains. At first nothing happened.

Then they all blinked.

* * *

 **(A/N) And it has begun.**

 **So as you can see, it started out almost identical to the actual show. As we continue into the story, things will start to deviate, even as early as the second episode. Unlike any of my other fanfictions, this one will be split into episodes, not chapters. It's a pretty exciting difference for me! As you could see in the last part, Yang isn't going to be evil. You'll see the reason for this later on….**

 **Big announcement: I have a tumblr now! It's called, you guessed it, INFJwriter! Go take a look at it!**

 **On a much sadder note…**

 **Nightprowlers is no longer under my authorship. It has been passed on to my good friend SnowflakeShard. I trust her to make a great final book in the trilogy.**

 **On an even sadder note…**

 **I'm running out of doable ideas for Ninjago fanfictions. I have one other one planned besides this one, but it's still in progress. I'm not leaving FFN entirely, in fact I'm planning an Undertale fanfiction (no, I'm not descending into the hateful part of that fandom). If you like Undertale, that's something to look forward to.**

 **Review please!**


	2. Episode 2: Night at the Museum

**(A/N) Museum rule #14: No weaponized mannequins. Even if the person they're representing had a weapon. There shall be no weaponizing of the mannequins.**

 **Additional differences in this chapter include dialogue changes, Yang's reason for bringing Cole to the temple, talking ghost students, and some other minor tweaks.**

 **Guest review replies:**

 **TheAmberShadow: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I thought he was too evil in the special, so he acts more like the tragic character he is.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Episode 2

Night At the Museum

Cole stepped back at the expression on Yang's face. He looked furious. "You never should have played with dark magic, boy!" he exclaimed. "That was the Vase of Wicked Souls Past! You have awakened evil spirits who were imprisoned in the Departed Realm! Now, give me my weapon before you do any more damage!"

"I don't think so!" Cole shouted back.

"I do! Seize him!"

Suddenly six ghost ninjas appeared out of nowhere. "What?!" Cole yelped before he was tackled by all of them. He felt the Yin blade leave his grasp. Yang's students held him upright with a tight grip. One of them put handcuffs on him, and another handed the Yin blade to Yang.

"Now, Cole," the teacher said, pointing the Yin blade at him, "you are going to hear the reason I called you here in the first place."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the museum, one by one the villains awoke. First Samukai, then Chen, then Cryptor and Kozu, and finally Morro. All of them looked around at each other in total confusion.

"Huh? Uh, who are you all?" Samukai rasped.

"I could ask you the same thing," Morro said, hopping off his pedestal and narrowing his eyes at the Skulkin suspiciously.

"I am Samukai! Skulkin general! Fearsome master of the dagger!" He looked at his hands. They were empty. "Uh, where are my daggers?"

"FEARSOME?" Kozu shouted. "You call yourself FEARSOME? I am fearsome! I am KOZU! DESTROYER of all foolish enough to challenge me!"

"Yeah?" Cryptor snarked. "So why am I not impressed?"

Kozu roared at the insult in his native language, but Chen interrupted. "But what has brought us back?" he asked. Then he saw he was sitting in a throne very much like his old one, with an array of buttons on the arms. "OOOH! BUTTONS BUTTONS BUTTONS!" he squealed with delight. He pushed a few, but nothing happened. "What?! My chair is fake?!"

"What is going on here?" Samukai questioned, ignoring Chen.

"Perhaps a better look around will give us some answers," Morro mused. All the villains hopped off their pedestals and began to search for clues.

"Hey, look at these!" Samukai exclaimed, pointing at a case that contained various weapons. Although they were all different, they had one thing in common: they all had a green jewel on them. The others crowded around him. Morro began to read the description.

"'These are Departed Blades. In the Dark Ages, they were said to be used by departed spirits. When a spirit's living enemy was struck down by the blade, the spirit wielding it would be able to take their victim's place among the living.'"

"I want THAT one!" Kozu shouted, pointing at a sword with jagged edges. Being made of indestructible stone, he easily shattered the glass case protecting the weapons with one punch. Each villain took a weapon. Kozu immediately snatched his chosen sword. Cryptor chose one that looked vaguely like a technoblade. Chen took what looked like an anacondrai sword. Samukai reached for an axe, and Morro grabbed a golden katana. Once they each had a satisfying weapon, the hunt for answers continued.

Eventually they came across a painting of a vase with green smoke swirling around it. Again Morro read the description. "'The Vase of Wicked Souls Past was an ancient artifact created during the Golden Age. Legend says that the vase was enchanted by a sorceress to hold the souls of the wicked once they died. It is said that if released, these souls will find likenesses of their former selves and possess them to bring themselves back to life.'"

"So that's what happened," Samukai growled.

Back in the main room of the exhibit, Pythor entered through a side door. "Hm, Hall of Villainy?" he murmured. Looking up, he found nothing but empty pedestals. He scoffed. "Hah! More like Hall of Empty…ny." Suddenly he heard something in the other room of the exhibit. Thinking it must be more interesting than this, he followed the sound of voices. On his way, he found a broken case that looked like it had housed weapons. He saw one was still left. It looked like one of the Serpentine generals' staffs. "Nice," he said, and took it with him.

"So we all agree?" Chen asked the others. "We'll use the Departed Blades to kill the Ninja and take their place among the living! Finally, we will have revenge!" All the villains cheered, except for Morro. He frowned and furrowed his brow, but quickly regained composure.

"Did someone say revenge?" Pythor asked, slithering in. "I want in." Suddenly he saw the nindroid in the room. "Ah, Cryptor, my loyal friend! Haha!" Then he turned to Chen. The atmosphere between them turned cold. "Chen," Pythor acknowledged.

"Pythor," Chen returned the greeting.

"Oooh, frosty," Kozu remarked.

Pythor looked around at the three villains he did not know. "And what might your names be?"

"Samukai," the skeleton announced.

"KOZU!" the stone warrior shouted.

"Morro," the ghost answered.

"A pleasure to meet you all. So, if we're going to kill the Ninja, we'd better split them amongst ourselves," Pythor suggested. "We don't want to take them all on at once."

"I call Zane!" Samukai blurted, throwing up two arms.

"No! He's my clone!" Cryptor insisted.

"Technically, you're his clone," Pythor pointed out. Kozu, Samukai, Chen, and Cryptor began to fight. Morro just frowned again.

"Enough!" Pythor shouted above the fray. "Personally, I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible. I pick Lloyd! I got rid of the father, well, more or less. It's finally time to get rid of the son!"

"I have a score to settle with Kai and Nya!" Chen claimed. "So they're mine!"

"I'll take Zane," Cryptor decided.

The wheels in Morro's head turned. He'd have to be careful about this. Strategic, purposeful. "Sensei Wu," he finally said. "We left things… unfinished. I will settle our debt once and for all."

"Ugh, that only leaves Jay," Samukai groaned, looking at Kozu. "One ninja, but two of us. Okay, rock paper clip. ONE, TWO, THREE! ONE TWO…" Kozu just walked away. "That doesn't seem to work."

Kozu looked out the window and spotted Dareth. "I want HIM!" he shouted.

"Yes!" Samukai agreed.

"Then it's settled!" Pythor announced. "Although, the Ninja won't go easily. Perhaps we could use… some help?"

Cryptor looked at Pythor's museum brochure. "The Hall of Sidekicks!" he offered.

"Haha! Convenient! Is it not?" Pythor chuckled. With that, Pythor, Cryptor, Chen, Kozu, and Samukai left the room, off to prepare for their confrontations. Morro, however, stayed where he was. He bit his lower lip, thinking hard. He considered his options. There was a lot to lose if he went through with his plan. Independence, control, and self-determination, to name a few.

But this also might be his only chance...

Finally, he made up his mind.

Pythor turned around to find Morro hesitating. "Coming, my new friend?" he asked.

"You all go on ahead," Morro told him. "I prefer to do things alone."

Pythor considered Morro's words. "Perhaps you have a point. I've seen the Hall of Sidekicks on my way here, and there were no serpentine. And I doubt any of the real serpentine will join me. Very well. We shall both go solo. Good luck."

"Thanks." With that, they parted ways.

* * *

Cole sat on the wooden floor, glaring up at Yang. "Alright then, Yang, why _did_ you bring me here?" he snapped.

"I brought you here because you have been struggling amongst the living. You've been fading, losing control," Yang explained.

"How do you know about that?"

"It is what happens to many ghosts when they remain among those with whom they do not belong. There are some ghosts who have enough control to dwell among the living, but for those who do not, they suffer." Yang bent down so he was level with Cole. "Cole. You don't belong with your friends anymore."

"No way! I belong with them!"

" _No,_ Cole. You _don't._ You became a ghost here. You belong with us."

"You want me to join you?! No! I'm never staying here!"

"Very well. If you will not join us out of your own free will, I will not stop you. However, I am not going to let you out."

"Oh yeah? I'll find a way out! You'll see!"

"Take him to the basement," Yang commanded one student. "He'll stay there until he reconsiders."

"When my friends see I'm missing, they'll come for me!" Cole yelled behind him as the student led him away.

"See you're missing? They've flat out forgotten you. Besides, you've caused quite a few problems for your friends," Yang told him crossly. "They'll be quite busy cleaning up the _mess_ you made."

* * *

Back in Ignacia, Kai and Nya were sitting on the couch, talking about the past month.

"I still can't believe Dilara really thought Jay was Amir," Kai said, reminiscing their last adventure in the Arabian Isles.

"Can you believe an evil Jinn thought I was Dilara?" Nya asked with a smirk. Kai chuckled. There was a small silence before Nya spoke again. "It feels strange, being back in our parents' shop after all this time."

Kai looked distant. "Nya, do you ever think we'll find out what happened to them?"

Nya was about to answer when someone else outside did. "I could tell you," it said. "But you've got bigger things to worry about!"

The siblings rushed outside to find Chen standing on the path with what looked like an anacondrai sword. "Chen?!" Nya gasped.

Kai ran back inside and got two katanas. He tossed one to Nya. "I don't know how you're back, but it's two against one!" he warned.

"Is it?" Chen asked. From behind him flew in two anacondrai soldiers in Condrai Crushers. Kai and Nya readied themselves for battle.

In the Birchwood Forest, Zane was turning to leave, but a rumbling behind him made him turn back around. His father's statue was crumbling! Zane stepped back in alarm. Finally it fell, and standing on top of it was none other than Cryptor, accompanied by three nindroids.

"Oops. Did I hurt your dear old dad?" he taunted. "Or should I say _our_ dad?"

* * *

In the junkyard, Ed and Jay were sitting on the bench outside the trailer. "Edna, dear," Ed called, "is that crumbcake ready yet? Jay's starving!"

"I'm fine dad!" Jay assured him.

Ed laughed. "Well, I know, son, but _I_ love your mother's crumbcake!"

Suddenly there were yelps from inside the trailer. "Mom?" Jay asked nervously. The door swung open, and out came Samukai with his mother held above his head.

"Guess who's back?" the skulkin general yelled as two skulkin underlings approached in mechs.

* * *

In the Corridor of Elders, Lloyd and Misako watched as the floating lantern flew up out of sight. "I know dad's gone," Lloyd said, "but sometimes I feel like he's still with me."

His mother smiled. "He _is_ with you, Lloyd. Sometimes I look at you and see him when he was your age; you look so alike. But he's not only in your face - he's in your heart too."

"Thanks, Mom."

They turned to leave, but a movement in the rocks made them stop and look around. Then Lloyd spotted a familiar-looking snake. "Pythor?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"When we last met," the anacondrai began, "I decided to help you and your father defeat Chen. Do you remember why?"

Lloyd thought back to that moment. "You… you said something about if anyone was going to take over the world, you'd rather it be you?"

" _Precisely!"_ He pulled out a serpentine staff. "Time to finish the job!" Lloyd stepped back.

* * *

On the mountain where the monastery ruins sat, Wu looked up at the bright moon. The eclipse was growing closer. He remembered something his father had told him once. "An eclipse is always an omen," he thought aloud. "But is this one of good, or bad?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice whispered to him like a gust of wind. "Bad," it breathed. "Bad. Bad. Very bad."

Wu knew that this was no wind.

It was the one who controlled it.

* * *

Cole was led down the many hallways and down staircases by one of the ghost ninja. He knew he had to get out of there. "So, uh, I didn't get your name," Cole said to his escort.

No answer.

"Okay, then. I'll just call you-"

"Chuck," the ninja told him in a quiet voice.

"Oh, so you do talk! Well, listen, Chuck. I know Yang's your master, but how can you be on his side? He's evil!"

"Let me ask you something," Chuck said. "What makes you think my Master is evil?"

"Well, he turned me into a ghost!"

"Look - Cole, is it? Yang wasn't the one who turned you into a ghost. You were the one who stayed behind. Also- _I'm not finished!_ Also, I wanted to come here. My parents wanted me to have a good martial arts education, and they were suggesting Sensei Wu. But I'd heard that he had a student that ran away."

"Morro," Cole put in.

"Was that his name? Anyway, I wanted to go somewhere else, and the other option at the time was Sensei Yang. My parents didn't like him, because they heard shady things about him. Although my parents told me it was Sensei Wu or nothing, I left in the middle of the night and arrived here. Yang took me in gladly, and introduced me to all of his other students. I don't mind the rule that we can't leave, because I wouldn't _want_ to leave."

Cole was speechless. He didn't think anyone would want to stay there forever. But Chuck didn't seem all that bad.

But he still had to get out of here.

"Well, it's been nice getting to know you, Chuck," Cole told the ghost ninja. Then before Chuck could respond, he broke free of his grasp and knocked him out. "Sorry, but I've gotta go help my friends," he explained. With that, Cole ran back the way they came, determined to get out of here.

* * *

 **(A/N) Well, there you have it! Episode 2! I know, it's not THAT different, but we'll be separating ourselves from the special even more in Episode 3. Plus we'll get to see Nya being the awesome ninja she wasn't in the special. We'll also see what Morro's planning, and see if Cole manages to escape!**

 **Review please! And don't forget to check out my tumblr blog, INFJwriter! And if you like Undertale, check out my other blog, Synthetictale, for updates and info about my Undertale fic that's coming soon!**


	3. Episode 3: Paranormal Activities

**(A/N) I AM SO SORRY! I have been so busy with life, and my blog, and my other writing.**

 **Alright! So now we finally get to the actual fights!**

 **Guest reviews!**

 **Anonymous7: Thanks! That's what I'm going for!**

 **Alright, read!**

* * *

Episode 3

Paranormal Activities

In the Corridor of Elders, Lloyd stood his ground and reached behind his back for his sword as Pythor slithered quickly toward him.

"Pythor, what are you doing?" Misako asked, thoroughly alarmed.

"Giving the boy a one way trip to join his daddy!" Pythor answered.

"Sorry," Lloyd snapped, "but I don't really feel like going on vacation!" Their two weapons clashed. To push him back, Lloyd launched himself off Pythor with both feet and flipped through the air to land near the stone wall.

Pythor looked up and saw one of the statues just above the green ninja. "But it's a holiday! Respect your elders!" With that, he threw his staff up toward the statue, and the head came tumbling down.

"Lloyd!" Misako cried.

The head came crashing down, but instead of flattening Lloyd, the green ninja used his powers over earth to catch and hold the weight of the stone head. It wasn't easy though. He didn't know how long he'd be able to hold it.

* * *

In Ignacia, the Condrai Crushers charged towards the siblings of water and fire. They dodged them just in time. "Nya! The Raider Bikes! Take out the Crushers first!" Kai called to his sister.

"Got it!" Nya responded. They both hurried over to the bikes and started the engines. They roared into action, intent on knocking the Crushers over. Nya took on one, Kai the other. Things were evenly matched until the Crusher Kai was fighting rammed into him with enough force to send the bike rolling.

"Aaaahhh!" Kai yelped as he flew through the air and landed at Chen's feet.

Chen laughed. He raised the anacondrai sword above his head and brought it swishing down. Kai rolled out of the way, but not before the purple blade grazed his arm. Kai hissed in pain as he looked at the rip in his gi. It wasn't deep, but it still hurt like crazy.

"Kai!" Nya cried. She drove over to her fallen brother and jumped off the bike to help.

"I'm fine, Nya!" Kai insisted. "Keep fighting!"

"You'll pay for that Chen!" Nya snarled at the enemy, and met his sword with hers with a fury like the waves of a stormy sea.

* * *

In the Birchwood Forest, the nindroids slowly approached Zane.

"Escape is futile, Zane," Cryptor sneered. "You and I share a programming! I know your every move before you even make it."

"Not anymore, Cryptor," Zane shot back. "I've had a few upgrades since we last met."

"Oh? Then let's see if I can't adapt as well!"

Zane analyzed the situation and calculated the probable moves they could make. "PIXAL, what do you make of this?" he asked.

"Based on our previous experiences with him, Zane," PIXAL began, "Cryptor will likely use cloaking devices, laser blasts, and the rockets in his feet to combat your best moves. Airjitzu will not be very helpful with this fight."

"Then I guess we're fighting on the ground," Zane concluded. "If he disappears, activate infrared vision. The heat given off by his functions should give him away." The nindroid sidekicks flew toward Zane. He fended them off, succeeding in destroying them with explosive shurikens. Now it was just him and Cryptor.

"Impressive," Cryptor complimented. "Perhaps this fight will be interesting after all!" Zane's clone charged, and their weapons clashed at speeds only androids could achieve.

* * *

Back in the junkyard, Jay was trying to hold back Ed from trying to save Edna on his own. "Don't you worry, Edna! I'll take care of those piles of bones!"

"Oh, Ed, careful now! Dr. Birkman said not to strain!" Edna called from Samukai's grasp.

"I got this, Dad!" Jay said, and fired bolts of lightning at both mechs, knocking them away. Jay turned to Samukai. "I have no idea what you want with my parents, but I'm all charged up!"

"It's not your parents I want, Jay," Samukai growled. "It's you!" He hurled Edna through the air. Thankfully, Ed caught her. Jay and Samukai charged at each other, and the fight began. Jay swung his nunchucks at the Skulkin general, who met the weapon with his own.

* * *

Back at the concert the Royal Blacksmiths finished their song. Dareth raced back onto the stage. "Alright, alright, alright! The Royal Blacksmiths, everybody!" The crowd cheered. "Before my boys continue, I'd like to thank everybody for coming out here tonight! What a crowd! Your costumes are great! Funny clowns and aliens. Wow! Those stone warriors in the back are great!"

Kozu led four stone warriors toward the stage. He growled in his native language.

"So realistic!" Dareth observed as they drew nearer. A little too realistic… wait a minute… "Those aren't costumes! Aaahh!" he yelled as he ran off the stage away from the approaching threat.

"REVENGE!" Kozu shouted as he and the other stone warriors chased Dareth into the museum. "DESTRUCTION!"

* * *

In the ruins of the old monastery, Wu turned to find Morro facing him with a knowing smirk. "My former student," he acknowledged. "How have you returned, Morro?"

"Perhaps that is not the question we should be asking ourselves, Sensei," Morro said cryptically, passing his sword across his face.

"We have fought before, and although it pains me, I will do so again."

"You misunderstand my intent," Morro told his old master. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to help."

"Are you?"

"Believe me, it was a tough decision. I'm giving up a lot. I could have gone with the others."

"Others?"

"Have you heard of the Vase of Wicked Souls Past?"

"Indeed. My father once sealed it away, but it was stolen by treasure hunters."

"It's been broken. That's why I am back. But others have come back too. They are confronting your students now."

"Tell me more."

"I will, but aboard the Bounty. We have to warn the others."

* * *

Cole crept down the hallways of Yang's temple, keeping an eye out for Yang's students. He remembered going through a door that should be around here somewhere. After a little snooping around, he finally found it. "Yes!" he cheered. He opened it, only to find two students in his path. "No!" he groaned. The students approached him with swords. "Hey, listen. This isn't fair! You've got weapons, and I'm still handcuffed!"

One student approached him, only to cut him loose. "Wait, you're helping me?" Cole asked in surprise.

"No," the student replied. "But we fight fair here. Now let's see what you've got."

Cole stomped one foot down, sending a tremor through the floor. The ghost students lost balance and fell to the ground. Cole picked up their weapons. That was almost too easy. "Huh! Maybe I can do this by myself!"

* * *

As soon as Wu and Morro were aboard the ship, they took flight. Once Wu put the ship on autopilot, he turned to Morro. "What exactly happened, Morro?" he asked.

"All the villains in the museum have come back to life. They are all going after the ninja. I pretended to be going after you, to keep them from getting suspicious. Cryptor's going after Zane, Samukai's going after Jay, Pythor's after Lloyd, Chen's taking on Kai and Nya, and Kozu seemed to be chasing someone outside in a brown suit. Not sure what his name was; no one said."

"Thank you, Morro. How can I repay you?"

Morro paused for a moment before giving his answer. "All I ask for is… a second chance."

Wu lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Morro, but I cannot take Lloyd's title away from him."

"You misunderstand. I meant a second chance at being good."

Wu was surprised, but kept it hidden. "I see," he responded. "I will certainly give you a second chance. Though you should not expect the other ninja to give you as warm of a welcome. It will take a lot to earn their trust."

"I understand, Sensei."

* * *

Kai and Nya kept fighting, Kai using his uninjured arm. The siblings fought with great ferocity, but Chen and the snakes were proving to be quite hard to beat.

"Don't fight too hard, princess," the snake Nya was fighting taunted. "You might mess up your hair!"

Nya's blood boiled at the comment. She was NOT going to take that kind of crap. "Princess, huh?" she growled. "Well, first thing you've got to know about this princess is that she is NOT a damsel in distress!" With that, she brought her weapon swishing down - and cut the snake's hand off.

The rest of the battle seemed to freeze as everyone looked over at the screaming snake. "Retreat!" Chen called in fear, and the snakes followed him sprinting away from the scene.

"No one calls me a princess," Nya snarled, watching them flee.

Kai chuckled. "That's my little sister," he said proudly.

Nya smiled at him. "Now let's take care of that cut of yours," she said.

"I'm fine," Kai assured her, but his wince gave him away.

"Oh, no you're not. Get in the shop. We've got bandages there."

* * *

Zane continued to fight Cryptor. Despite being titanium, he was evenly matched with Cryptor's abilities. The clone fired lasers at Zane, which he dodged without too much trouble.

"Zane, you can't get close enough with his lasers firing at you," PIXAL pointed out.

Suddenly Zane had an idea. "I can fix that," he told her. He threw a shuriken, and with his robotic precision, it hit Cryptor right in the eye, disabling his lasers and blinding him in that eye.

Cryptor pulled the weapon out of his eye, exposing the wires underneath. He discarded the shuriken and ran at Zane. But without depth perception, his attack was easily dodged. The ninja picked up the shuriken Cryptor had dropped and continued to fight.

Realizing he was at the disadvantage, Cryptor stepped back and disappeared. Zane looked around and saw his foe perched on a branch high in the trees. "You may have won this time," he called down to the ninja, "but the next time we meet, expect to see some upgrades!" With that, he took off with the rockets on his feet into the night.

* * *

Jay and Samukai kept fighting with no sign of who was winning. Then Jay had an idea. Skulkin were used to the dark. He ran over to the fuze box by the trailer and gave it some extra electricity. The lights around the junkyard brightened so that it was blinding Samukai and the other skulkin.

"It's… too… bright!" Samukai yelped. "I can't see!"

Jay ran toward the Skulkin general to finish him off, but before he could reach him, Samukai ran off with his sidekicks into the night.

Ed and Edna walked over to where Jay stood panting. "That's our boy!" Ed said proudly.

* * *

Dareth raced through the museum storage, looking for the only thing he could think of that might save him. "Come on, Helmet of Shadows! Where are you? You control the stone warriors!" Suddenly he spotted it lying on a box, and had almost reached it, when suddenly he smelled smoke. The stone warriors had started a fire! He ran screaming back out the way he came, leaving the helmet behind. He ran past smoking rooms toward the exit. He could hear the stone warriors chasing him, yelling in their native language. He finally burst out the front doors to hear sirens wailing through the night air.

"REVENGE!" Kozu shouted. Being made of stone, he could walk right through the flames.

"HELP!" Dareth cried. He could feel himself getting tired, and the stone warriors were catching up to him. Just when the foes were almost upon him, a large beam of light shone down from the sky. It was the Destiny's Bounty. The anchor dropped down in front of Dareth, and he jumped onto it and held on for dear life as he was lifted up away from danger.

* * *

Cole moved on through the rooms until he found the door to the entrance hall. He sped up, heartened that escape was so near.

Suddenly Yang appeared out of nowhere in his path. "I'm impressed," he said. "You've shown great abilities, but I'm afraid they won't get you out."

"Oh yeah? I beat three of your students pretty darn easily!"

"Can you take on all six?" Yang asked as all six students approached Cole from all sides.

Cole fought hard, and seemed to be winning, when all six students disappeared. "What? Where- oof!" Unable to see the students, he was overwhelmed. Once again, he found himself in shackles.

"I want him in the basement under _heavy_ guard," Sensei Yang instructed. And so Cole was led off once again, now unsure if he would ever get out.

* * *

Lloyd struggled to keep holding up the stone head. "Can't… hold on… much longer!" he groaned.

Misako had been fighting Pythor with spinjitzu, but had eventually worn herself out. Pythor now held her against the rock with his staff. "Yes, you can!" she encouraged her son.

"Foolish boy!" Pythor shouted at the green ninja. "You continually underestimate me! You're so like your father!"

"He's right, Lloyd!" Misako urged. "You're brave, and noble, and-"

"And a master of spinjitzu!" Lloyd finished, his confidence returning. "You _are_ still with me, Dad! Ninja-GO!" He surrounded himself with his green tornado and quickly spun out from under the head. The twister collided with Pythor, and beat him back from Misako. Lloyd came out of his spinjitzu, pulled out his sword, and pointed it at the snake.

"It's over Pythor! Surrender!"

"An anacondrai never surrenders!" Pythor refused. "But we do know how to make an exit!" With that, he became invisible, leaving Lloyd and his mother behind.

Just then a shadow fell over the two. They looked up to see The Bounty flying overhead. "Looks like the cavalry has arrived!" Lloyd shouted over the sound of the jets. The anchor came down in front of them, and they got on.

Once they had been lifted up to the deck, Kai and Nya helped them up. "So, lemme guess, you had to battle one of those villains too?" the fire ninja asked his friend with a smirk.

"How'd you guess?" Lloyd laughed, but he stopped abruptly when he saw… _him._ Lloyd narrowed his eyes. The person he was looking at did the same.

" _Morro,"_ Lloyd growled.

" _Lloyd,"_ Morro sneered.

* * *

 **(A/N) HOOOO BOOOYYY, this can only end well!**

 **Also, please be patient with me. I came across a rusher the other day and that wasn't fun. Also I may be disappearing again for a bit because of life, my blogs, and other writing. That's what caused by disappearance last time. Also I'm going to try to fix up the fourth chapter before I give it to you. Gotta put at least a LITTLE bit of Cole in there...**

 **Have a happy Easter and don't forget to review!**


	4. Episode 4: Two Shades of Green

**(A/N) Woooo! I'm finally back! Unfortunately, this will be the last chapter released for this fic so I'm going to post the general outline in the A/N at the end. Also unfortunately there is no Cole in this because I cannot write the dude for the life of me.**

 **So, we left off at a tense part, didn't we? This chapter's all about the tension and conflict between Morro and Lloyd, and we'll end off with what I think is one of my best chapter endings yet! Read and don't forget to review!**

 **TheAmberShadow: Thank you!**

 **Guest 1: Oh, guest… you are in for a rollercoaster ride.**

 **Guest 2: :)**

 **Guest 3: Ummm… okay? But just to let you know, it IS a pedophilic ship, so, yeah.**

 **Jayapura: Here it is!**

 **EnergyBlast: Thanks! SnowflakeShard is a great writer and I trust she will take it in a good direction. Haha, yes, but they may have a bit more than a staring contest, as we will see here. There's a lot of tension between these two.**

* * *

Episode 4

Two Shades of Green

Morro and Lloyd were finding it very hard to live in the same establishment. Sometimes they would acknowledge one another's presence, sometimes they would completely ignore each other. And other times they would be at each other's throats.

It was three days after Morro joined, and he and Lloyd hadn't argued all morning, which was a record. They basically ignored each other at breakfast, though.

After everyone finished eating, Sensei stood up. "I am going out to get a few bags of tea. I trust you all to be good while I am gone. Try to work in some training."

"Yes Sensei," everyone responded.

About a half an hour later, after Sensei had left, the Ninja went out onto the deck to train. They didn't use their powers, deciding to give them a rest for today. Instead, they practiced with weapons. When they split into groups though, Kai and Nya were quick to pair up. The same happened with Jay and Zane.

Which left Lloyd with Morro. Neither of the two seemed very happy about this.

As training went on, Lloyd quickly learned that Morro had a very agressive fighting style. His moves with his sword were quick and seemed like they were driven more by anger.

"Morro, this is only training," Lloyd reminded the ghost.

"Spoken like your father," Morro scoffed.

Lloyd stopped fighting and took a step back. He narrowed his eyes at his new teammate. "Exactly what is that supposed to mean, _Morro?"_

The other Ninja paused their training. All eyes turned toward the the former enemies. They could almost feel the tension of the past few days coming to a climax.

"What do you think it means, _Lloyd?"_ Morro snapped back.

For a moment, Lloyd did nothing but look at Morro with a neutral face. Then, all of a sudden, it twisted into a snarl. "I'm tired of taking your crap! This ends now!" he shouted. The green ninja created two balls of energy in his hands and threw them at Morro in pure fury. The ghost dodged the attack and summoned a gust of wind that knocked Lloyd down.

"Lloyd! Morro!" Zane tried to intervene. "Sensei wouldn't want-"

" _STAY OUT OF THIS!"_ the two ninja screamed at the nindroid. With that, the fight began.

Morro made the first move. He turned the breeze in the air into a powerful gale and sent it in Lloyd's direction. Lloyd plunged his sword into the deck and held onto it in order stay standing. When the wind stopped, Lloyd took out the sword and pointed it at Morro.

"You came back saying you've changed. That you'd no longer be chasing after being the green ninja. But I haven't seen a single change in you!" he accused Morro, and their two swords clashed and clanged.

"I'm tired of you all playing favorites!" Morro shot back. "Of you excluding me! You never trust me! I'm sick of it!"

"We don't trust you because you haven't given us a _reason_ to!" Both ninja turned into their spinjitzu tornados, Lloyd's a bright shade of green and Morro's a darker one. The twisters crashed into each other and merged, forming a new tornado twice as large, and such a dark green it was almost black. The other ninja watched in terror as it began to rip up the boards on the deck. The sky darkened, and the Bounty groaned.

It may have gotten worse if Sensei had not returned at that very moment atop his dragon, looking furious.

"STOP!" he cried. Lloyd and Morro fell out of the destructive tornado and onto the deck. Sensei's dragon roared and breathed out a mist that repaired the ship. The sky lightened again. All returned to normal. Sensei then canceled his dragon and approached the two ninja who were responsible. "Lloyd, I need you in my room, now," he ordered.

"But Sensei, Morro-" Lloyd protested.

" _Now."_

Lloyd fell silent and followed Sensei inside, but gave Morro a look as he passed the wind ninja.

* * *

Morro walked down the hall to Sensei's room, where he'd been told by Kai to go. He slid open the door and saw the teacher sitting on the floor with some tea, waiting for him, but he was surprised to see a scowling Lloyd in there too.

"What's he doing here?!" Morro burst.

"I'm glad you were able to make it, Morro," Wu said calmly. "Please sit down."

"I thought this was supposed to be a private talk!" the ghost continued to protest.

"You were mistaken. It is time for the two of you to settle your debts. Sit, please."

Even though he was tempted to run out of the room, Morro slowly sulked over to a spot on the floor and sat down, making sure he was a good distance from the green ninja. Lloyd narrowed his eyes at him. He glared back.

If Sensei had noticed the silent exchange, he didn't show it. "Now, my students," he addressed them both, "Do you know what a Tornado of Chaos is?"

Both students were silent. Sensei took that as a sign for him to continue. "It is a spinjitzu tornado that is essentially the opposite of the Tornado of Creation. Instead of being driven by teamwork and trust, it is fueled by separation and hate. If it is strong enough, it can tear apart a whole building." He took a sip of tea. "The Tornado of Chaos the two of you created by combining your spinjitzu wasn't strong enough to do that, but it did some damage. Now, I want to hear what exactly happened between you two to create such a forbidden martial art. _One at a time,_ please. Lloyd, you first."

"Sure, Lloyd's always first," Morro grumbled.

Lloyd stood up. "Okay, I've had enough of your smart-"

"Lloyd," Wu interrupted. His tone was still calm, but the sternness was there.

"Sorry, Sensei." The green ninja sat back down.

"I know you two hate each other," the teacher acknowledged, "but that cannot change the fact that you are now brothers. You must realize the fact that you must find peace with each other. You two have more in common than you think."

"In _common? What_ do we have in common?" Morro asked with disbelief.

"You both are strong-willed. You hold your values close to heart. You have strong opinions. And although your goals may be very different, you will work very hard towards them. Apart, you are capable of creating chaos. But united, your potential for greatness will be unlimited."

Both Morro and Lloyd were silent for a moment. Finally Lloyd said, "Sensei, I'm not so sure about that. How can we be 'great' when sometimes we can't stand being in the same room?"

"Have you _tried_ working together on something, nephew?"

"Well… no."

"Then how can you be so sure that you can never get along?" Lloyd remained silent. Wu took a sip of tea. "I am not asking you two to become best friends. I am asking you to find peace with one another. Lloyd, I want you to accept that Morro is now your brother. Morro, I want you to accept that Lloyd is your brother. I know you two can do it. You are both very capable students." He took another sip of tea. "Which is why I am sending you two as a team to fight Pythor."

"WHAT?!" both students cried in shock.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. The two of you will be fighting Pythor together. I have complete faith in you. You are dismissed."

"But Sensei! He _possessed_ me!"

"He'll be _unbearable!"_

"ENOUGH!" Sensei shouted. The two students winced and fell silent. They'd pushed Sensei past his breaking point. "This rivalry between you two must stop! It has gone on for too long! Find a way to work together or the two of you will be training all day, every day for a month! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"Yes, Sensei."

* * *

It was nighttime by the time Lloyd and Morro had flown all the way to the Mountain of a Million Steps. The two canceled their dragons and landed at the mouth of the hole that served as the entrance to the caves. When they had lowered themselves down the rope and landed on the stone platform below, they removed their masks and looked around.

"Seems quiet," Morro observed. "Do you think they left?"

"Not likely," Lloyd answered. "The reports said that Pythor and the snakes he managed to convert were spotted coming here and hadn't been seen leaving. They've got to be here."

"This is an empty room! Where would they be?" Morro shot back impatiently as Lloyd just walked over to one of the paintings on the wall. "Are you even listening to me?"

Lloyd just looked back at Morro with a flat expression, then pressed a spot on the wall behind him with his elbow. Immediately a door slid open in the wall. Lloyd smirked at the ghost. "Having been dragged around Ninjago by the snakes when I was a kid, I kinda know a thing or two about all of their lairs. Let's go." With that, Lloyd led the way down the tunnel, with Morro sulking behind.

They eventually came to a large room that had steps leading down to the bottom. The two ninja peered over the edge at the Serpentine down below. There were at least fifty. "That's a lot of snakes," Morro breathed.

Lloyd spotted Pythor and pointed him out to Morro.

"I know Lloyd well," Pythor was telling one of his cronies. "He will surely come here to confront me."

"I'm not ssssso sssssure, Pythor," the other snake fretted. "He hassssssn't come yet. It'sssss been three dayssssss and ssssstill we've got no sssssssign of him."

"He will come!" Pythor shouted back and banged his staff against the ground. The other snake cowered in fear. "Now if you know what's good for you, you'll go back to your post now and keep a lookout for the boy!" The minion yelped and fled to another part of the cavern.

"So they're expecting us," Morro whispered. "You think we should turn around and try again another time?"

"No, we're already here!" Lloyd refused. "We might as well give it a shot!"

"But what if something goes wrong? We're far outnumbered. And Pythor seems like he really wants to kill you."

Lloyd gave Morro a meaningful glare. "You know very well that I've been in worse situations than death, Morro."

"You think what I did to you was worse than death?! Come on!"

"When you've been through as much as I have, sometimes you wonder how it might feel to finally be away from all the pain for good."

"You're not the only one whose life has been less than pleasant."

The two were quiet for a moment before Lloyd broke the silence. "Let's just get this over with," he muttered. "Now isn't the time for this conversation."

"Wait a second, where'd Pythor go?" Morro had just noticed that the white snake was gone. In fact, it seemed that while they were talking, the number of snakes visible from where they were had dropped.

"Crap, did they see us?" Lloyd whispered. He took out his sword and started quietly down the steps. Suddenly there was a rumbling sound beneath their feet.

Then the snakes appeared. It happened so fast, Morro was unable to help. One second, Lloyd was surrounded by constrictai, the next second they were all gone, having burrowed back into the floor with Lloyd.

"Hey! Stop!" Morro shouted down the hole, but he couldn't see them anymore. At first Morro was too stunned to think. Then dread settled in. He couldn't follow those snakes, so there was no chance of getting Lloyd back. If he came back to the Bounty without Lloyd, the others would blame him and he'd never be able to make it up. On the other hand, Morro had no idea where the snakes were taking Lloyd. The computer at the Bounty would probably be of help, but again, there was no way he could go back without the green ninja. For the first time in a long time, Morro had no idea what to do.

 _Well, staying here won't do any good,_ he thought, and with a bit of guilt, he left back down the tunnel where they'd come. Once he was in the first room, he sat down on the platform to think. The only thing Morro could think of doing was calling the other ninja on his radio. They'd still blame him, but at least he wouldn't have to face them yet. He took a deep breath and called in. "Morro to Destiny's Bounty, do you copy?"

At first there was no answer. Then he heard Kai's voice. "We hear you Morro. Did you capture Pythor?" _Great._ Of all the people to answer him, it _had_ to be the one who was going to be the most upset.

Morro hesitated. How was he supposed to say this? "No, we didn't," he began. Then he braced himself. "And, they took Lloyd."

" _WHAAAAT?!"_

Morro pulled back from the device as Kai roared through the line. "How could you let this _happen_ Morro? You two were supposed to work _together!"_

"I wasn't _trying_ to lose him!"

"Morro, what happened?" Fantastic. Now Sensei was there.

"He lost Lloyd!" Kai yelled.

"Stay where you are, Morro. We'll pick you up and begin searching for Lloyd."

Great. That was exactly what Morro didn't want to happen. "No, Sensei. It's my fault he's gone. I'm going to find him, alone."

"Morro! No! Don't-" But Morro turned the device off. He had a ninja to find. And since it was the snakes who took him, he might know where to look…

* * *

This felt like the one hundredth time Lloyd had been locked up. At this point it was ridiculous. Why in Ninjago was it ALWAYS him who got captured? Sure, he's the green Ninja, but you'd think the bad guys would have a different target at least once. This time, he was in a cell in Ourobouris, chained to the wall with vengestone chains. No point trying to break them with his powers.

Suddenly two Constrictai henchmen opened the door and unlocked his chains. Immediately they took hold of both his arms with iron grips. "Don't try anything, greenie," one warned, as he snapped vengestone cuffs on his wrists. With that, he was led out of the cell.

He was led through many dark hallways until they reached a doorway. When they went through it, Lloyd found himself outside in the arena. It was dusk. As soon as he was out in the open, there were cheers from the Serpentine henchmen in the stands. In the center of the arena was Pythor, who was looking particularly pleased with the situation. The Constrictai let him go and quickly left for the stands. As soon as they were gone, Lloyd made a break for it, but just before he reached the edge of the arena, spikes rose out of the ground up to the height of his chest, blocking his escape.

"You're not leaving, Lloyd," Pythor called over to him. "Tonight you and I battle for the last time! A Slither Pit fight for the ages!"

"Then let's make it a fair fight!" Lloyd yelled back, turning to face his enemy. "Take off these chains!"

"Maybe you never knew this, but there are no rules in the Slither Pit. We don't have to fight fair!" Pythor explained. The crowd laughed at Lloyd's cluelessness. Lloyd narrowed his eyes. If Pythor wasn't going to fight fair, fine. But the green ninja had an iron will and determination to match. He wasn't backing down.

"Now let the fight begin!" Pythor announced.

Lloyd knew he had to get rid of the chains, fast. He looked around and saw the spikes. He pressed the links against the other side and pulled hard. Thankfully the link wasn't very strong, and snapped in half. Now he could fight with both hands.

"Clever," Pythor mused, "but the cuffs are still on you. No powers!"

"Then I'll just have to do without them!" With that, Lloyd ran at Pythor. The anacondrai disappeared. Lloyd stopped and closed his eyes, trying to rely on his other senses. He thought he could hear something to the right. He gave a mighty kick in that direction, and his foot met the invisible snake. Pythor howled and abandoned that strategy. They continued to fight with their fists, until suddenly the Departed Serpentine staff was thrown to Pythor from the crowd. The anacondrai caught it.

"Oh dear, what shall you do now?" he sneered.

This was a turn in the tide. Pythor now had a weapon, and Lloyd was unarmed. The green ninja was forced to resort to dodging the swinging staff.

"Just think, Lloyd," Pythor said, continuing his attacks, "at least you'll get to see your father again, once this is over!"

"I don't intend to see him for a while, Pythor," Lloyd shot back, ducking a particularly powerful swing. He knew he couldn't go on like this forever, though. He was beginning to get tired. Even worse, Pythor seemed to notice. His attacks became more vicious.

Finally, Pythor succeeded in hitting Lloyd on the head. The green ninja fell to the ground, clutching his head. The serpentine crowd cheered. Pythor approached the fallen ninja with a look of triumph. "You know," he said, "If you had never released me, none of this would have happened in the first place. When you see your father, do tell him I said hello."

But just as Pythor held the staff above his head for the killing blow, the wind suddenly picked up. It gained speed, and began to howl. Many snakes in the crowd lost balance and fell.

"What's going on?" Pythor shouted. Just as he finished his question, the wind knocked the staff out of his hands. It flew through the air - and was caught by Morro.

"Guess I'm late for the party!" he snarked, pulling out his sword.

"You!" Pythor shouted above the gales. "I thought you were an enemy of the Ninja too!"

"Let's just say I'm well known for my acting skills. Now back away from the green ninja, or you will wish you had."

"Get him!" Pythor commanded.

Snakes flooded into the arena. Morro thought fast. He needed to cut Lloyd free from those cuffs. What was strong enough to break them?

Constrictai.

Morro turned to one of the black snakes and dove inside it. The snake shuddered as the ghost took control. Once Morro had adjusted himself to the body, he ran at the green Ninja. Lloyd tried to fend him off, apparently thinking he was just another snake. "Easy, Lloyd, It's me!" Morro told him. Lloyd's eyes widened as Morro grabbed the vengestone cuffs and squeezed them. Under the strong pressure, the cuffs broke.

"I would have preferred you to go about that in a different way," Lloyd said pointedly as Morro left the snake, who immediately ran away screaming.

"Good to see you too," Morro responded in a disgruntled tone. "Now let's beat these snakes."

 **Note: A battle was supposed to ensue here, in the middle of which Lloyd gets hit with modified Venomari venom. This makes him think that he is Fritz Donnagan, and Morro is Commander Kiplin. After Morro and Lloyd win the battle, antics ensue, in which Lloyd is bumbling around hallucinating, exasperating Morro. Morro calls the Bounty and they are rescued by the other Ninja. We now pick up with Lloyd and Morro arriving back on the ship.**

"Lloyd!" All the other Ninja ran toward the green ninja and hugged him.

"Ah, my crew! What have I missed?" Lloyd asked loudly.

Everyone looked at Lloyd, clearly confused by the green ninja's behavior, and Morro realized he hadn't told them about Lloyd's state. "He was hit with a special Venomari venom and now he thinks he's someone called Fritz Donnagan," the ghost explained. "Any of you know who that is?"

Suddenly Jay's eyes widened with understanding. He stepped forward and put an arm around Lloyd's shoulders. "Captain! It's great to see you're back!"

"Thank you! Uh… what's your name again?" Lloyd asked.

"I'm Doctor Stecks, remember?"

"Ah! Doctor!"

"Listen, Captain, you look a bit pale. Why don't you rest for a bit? I'll take you to your quarters."

"Thank you, Doctor. I do feel a bit tired, now that I think of it."

"Right then. Let's go, Captain." And with that, Jay led Lloyd back inside the ship, leaving most of the other Ninja staring after them with extremely confused looks. Only Nya seemed to look like she knew what had just taken place.

"Uh, Nya?" Kai asked. "What just happened?"

"Comic book nerdiness," she answered, shrugging like it was no big deal. "Come on, it's late and I'm tired too." With that, Zane, Nya, and Kai walked back inside.

Morro was stunned. Then his eyebrows furrowed. His fists clenched. He'd just brought back their favorite ninja, and hadn't even gotten a single 'thank you.' Was he _invisible_ or something? Couldn't they at least _acknowledge_ the fact that he was _there?_

"Thank you, Morro."

Morro jumped at the sudden voice. He turned and saw Sensei sipping tea behind him. "Sorry, Sensei, I didn't see you," he apologized.

"That is quite alright, Morro. Did you learn something from this mission? Something about teamwork, perhaps?"

Morro lowered his head. "Yes, Sensei. You were right. I can't do things alone. And Lloyd and I weren't that bad working together. We have our differences, but when we actually looked past them and worked as a team, some pretty good action came out of it."

"I am glad you have decided to move on, Morro. Thank you for bringing back Lloyd. I see you are taking this second chance seriously."

"What about the others? They didn't seem very grateful."

"They were caught up in the moment. I will make sure that they thank you, though. I believe you have taken a great step toward gaining their trust."

"Thank you, Sensei."

* * *

It had been two days since Lloyd had recovered from the Venomari venom. Morro still hadn't gotten a thank you, and he was getting kind of salty about that. He opened the bedroom door, in search of his sword for training. He thought he might have left it under his bed. But as he made his way over to the bed, he saw something lying on top of the covers. It was a box wrapped in green paper. There was an envelope lying on top of it. Written on it in green ink were three words.

 _Read this first._

Curious though he was as to what the box contained, he resisted the temptation to open the package and instead opened the envelope. He began to read.

 _I owe you for getting me out of Ouroborus. My thank you present is in the box. I know you probably really want to open it, but hear me out first. Sensei once told me that there is no black and white, only many different shades of gray. I didn't really know what he meant until now. We shouldn't be thinking that one of us is right and the other one is wrong. We should instead focus on understanding each other._

 _I know you wanted to be the green ninja. I think you still do. I wish I could help you there. But I can't just give you the title._

 _But there is something I can give you. You don't have an official gi like us yet, and I doubt you want to keep wearing that ripped up one. Here's one I thought you might like. I don't use it anymore. It was my first one._

 _-Lloyd_

Morro almost turned to open the box when he stopped and looked at the note again. He read the last line more carefully.

 _It was my first one._

His first one…

His _first_ one?

No…

It _couldn't_ be…

Morro carefully unwrapped the box. Slowly he opened up the lid. His jaw dropped. His hunch was right.

Folded neatly inside the box was his childhood dream. It was just like when he first saw it. The whole suit was emerald green. The chest was covered with silver and black stars. The center was parted to reveal the white undershirt. The belt was a darker green with a silver buckle. Morro blinked a few times to ensure he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't.

Lloyd had given him the original green ninja suit.

Morro lifted the gi out of the box. He held it out in front of him to get a good look at the whole thing, but something fell out of it. He laid the gi carefully down on the bed beside him and bent down to pick it up. It was a small piece of paper with one last message.

 _There's more than just one shade of green. You're welcome._

* * *

 **(A/N) Welp, that's it! If you were interested, here is the outline, starting with this chapter.**

 **Two Shades of Green-** **Lloyd and Morro make an unlikely team against Pythor. At the same time, Cole contemplates his contributions to the Ninja team, (not the leader anymore, lack of actual defining role in the team, lack of appreciation/attention, doubts about whether he really belongs) and decides he would rather stay with the ghost ninjas.**

 **Iron Sharpens Iron-** **Cole becomes an official student of Sensei Yang. Meanwhile, Kai and Nya face off against Chen.**

 **The Hot Iron Fist-** **Cole learns an ancient martial arts technique. Jay and Nya face off against Samukai.**

 **Immortality** **\- Cole learns more about Yang's backstory. Kai finds the elemental blades and he and Dareth fend off the stone warriors.**

 **Cybernatural-** **Cole finds out there is another way to become human again. Zane finds Echo and together they take on Cryptor.**

 **Eclipsed-** **With the eclipse drawing to a close, Yang, Cole, and the ghost students prepare to become human again. With all the villains defeated, the Ninja resume their search for Cole.**

 **Fight or Flight** **\- On the last night of the eclipse, the Ninja team goes to Yang's temple and tries to stop Yang from opening the rift. Cole and the ghost ninjas try to fight them off. Cole is told that his friends were actually looking for him. Touched by this, he decides to go through the rift, but Yang tries to stop him because he betrayed him. Cole begins to fade away, but at the last minute he remembers his friends and beats Yang to the rift.**

 **Fight or Flight sounds like it has a few logical/flow errors, but it probably would have worked.**

 **Review please! Hopefully I will see you again soon! Don't forget to check out my tumblrs, infjwriter and my Undertale writing sideblog, perseverancewriter!**


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